Art Howe
From BR Bullpen
Arthur Henry Howe Jr.
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
- School University of Wyoming
- Debut July 10, 1974
- Final Game April 19, 1985
- Born December 15, 1946 in Pittsburgh, PA USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Art Howe played 11 seasons in the majors and then managed for 14 years. He, Greg Brock, and Jeff Huson are the only major leaguers appearing in more than 100 games to come from the University of Wyoming.
He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent at the age of 24. He broke in at age 27 with them as a third baseman. In his first year, 1974, he hit .243 in 29 games, and in his second year he slumped to .171 in 63 games. That winter, he was the player-to-be-named-later in a trade for Tommy Helms, and he appeared in 21 games with the Houston Astros in 1976, hitting only .138 at the age of 29.
It was a very inauspicious start, but Howe's career was just beginning. He became a regular for the next six years with the Astros, always appearing in 100 to 125 games. In the first three years, he played primarily second base, then in the fourth year he was a first baseman, and in the last two years he was a third baseman. His hitting was better than might have been expected. Although Houston played in an extreme pitcher's park, Howe hit over .290 twice and over .280 another time. He also drew a decent number of walks, and showed moderate power.
After not playing in 1983, Howe played sparingly with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984 and was released early in the 1985 season.
Over the course of his career, he appeared in the post-season three times, but never in a World Series. Based on similarity scores, a similar player was his contemporary Randy Ready.
After his playing days ended, Howe was a Texas Rangers coach from 1985 to 1988. The next year he was back with the Astros as manager. He managed them for five years, from 1989 to 1993, finishing third in the division in his first and last years. He did not manage in the majors the next two seasons, serving as a Colorado Rockies coach in 1995. When Tony LaRussa left the Oakland Athletics after the 1995 season, Howe was his successor. He managed Oakland for seven years. Although there was a sudden drop-off in the performance of A's between his first and second years with them, from the second year onward the team improved each year. In 2000 they won AL West with 91 victories (Jason Giambi was the league MVP), in 2001 they finished second with 102 victories but made the post-season as the American League's Wild Card, and in 2002 they won the division again with 103 victories. He managed the New York Mets in 2003 and 2004, finishing under .500 both seasons. He was thought to be near the top of the list to be the Pirates manager in 2006, but ultimately he was not hired. Howe joined the Philadelphia Phillies as third base coach after the 2006 season, but less than a month later, he left the Phillies to serve as the Texas Rangers bench coach under skipper Ron Washington in 2007.
Quote: "Former managers with the status of Howe and Leyland don't look for jobs. The jobs look for them." - Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[edit] Notable Achievements
- Division Titles: 2 (2000 & 2002)
- Other post-season appearances: 1 (2001 Wild Card)
- 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 2 (2001 & 2002)
| Preceded by Hal Lanier | Houston Astros Manager 1989-1993 | Succeeded by Terry Collins |
| Preceded by Tony LaRussa | Oakland Athletics Manager 1996-2002 | Succeeded by Ken Macha |
| Preceded by Bobby Valentine | New York Mets Manager 2003-2004 | Succeeded by Willie Randolph |
[edit] Year-By-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Houston Astros | National League | 86-76 | 3rd | Houston Astros | |
| 1990 | Houston Astros | National League | 75-87 | 4th (t) | Houston Astros | |
| 1991 | Houston Astros | National League | 65-97 | 6th | Houston Astros | |
| 1992 | Houston Astros | National League | 81-81 | 4th | Houston Astros | |
| 1993 | Houston Astros | National League | 85-77 | 3rd | Houston Astros | |
| 1996 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 78-84 | 3rd | Oakland Athletics | |
| 1997 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 65-97 | 4th | Oakland Athletics | |
| 1998 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 74-88 | 4th | Oakland Athletics | |
| 1999 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 87-75 | 2nd | Oakland Athletics | |
| 2000 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 91-70 | 1st | Oakland Athletics | Lost ALDS |
| 2001 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 102-60 | 2nd | Oakland Athletics | Lost ALDS |
| 2002 | Oakland Athletics | American League | 103-59 | 1st | Oakland Athletics | Lost ALDS |
| 2003 | New York Mets | National League | 66-95 | 5th | New York Mets | |
| 2004 | New York Mets | National League | 71-91 | 4th | New York Mets |
[edit] Related Sites
Categories: Player | Manager | Coach
